Writing on the Home Front
A collection of pandemic-era stories and poems from Haida Gwaii writers
Thanks to additional funding from the Northwest Regional District which has made this publication possible. We extend our appreciation to our diligent adjudicators, Susan Musgrave and Terry Jordan, and to the 19 writers on Haida Gwaii who submitted their work for this project.
Click here to view all the writing submissions.
Come hear Adriana Barton, bestselling author of the new book being discussed from coast to coast. In this internationally acclaimed book, Vancouver writer Adriana Barton shows how music isn’t just “ear candy” or a series of torturous exercises we remember from piano lessons. With the right doses, music can double as a mild antidepressant, painkiller, sleeping pill, and memory aid —and even trigger a euphoric high.
Drawing from neuroscience, anthropology and evolutionary biology, Wired for Music gets to the heart of music’s profound effects on us. Through a captivating blend of science and memoir, Barton explores music as an age-old system for boosting human health, connecting us to each other—even at a chemical level—and infusing our lives with wonder, meaning and joy.
Adriana Barton is a former health reporter at The Globe and Mail, who has also written about medical research, neuroscience, visual arts, music and pop culture for publications across Canada and the United States. Her research has taken her to Syria, Jordan, India, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Brazil.
Friday, February 17 @ 7:30 PM Earth Temple, Daajing Gids
Saturday, February 18 @ 4:00 PM Delkatla Nature Centre, Masset
Susan Musgrave has been labelled everything from eco-feminist to anti-feminist, from stand-up comedian to poet of doom and gloom, from social and political commentator to wild sea-witch of Canada’s northwest coast. As a Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist who has published almost 30 books, Susan is one of Canada’s most prominent writers nominated multiple times for Governor General’s Literary Awards.
OCTOBER 29, 2022
EARTH TEMPLE @ DAAJING GIIDS
7:00 PM, FREE
Poetry in Late August!
Enjoy a FREE poetry reading by Poet, Memoirist and Educator, Jane Munro as she travels to Haida Gwaii in August.
7PM, August 30, 2022 at Earth Temple – 403 Oceanview Drive, Daajing Giids
7PM, September 1, 2022 at Vancouver Island Regional Library Port Clements Branch – 36, Cedar Avenue
Her latest book, False Creek is scheduled for publication with Harbour Publishing October 1st, 2022.
2021 Haida Gwaii Arts Council Writing Competition
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: Your voice, your experience, your imagination, and your deep thoughts about this very strange year living in this unique part of the world. It could be a happy story, a sad story, a terrifying story—or a mixture of everything. Did you discover something important or wonderful or disturbing about yourself? How have you (or your fictional main characters) been getting along with people in your bubble? What do you or your characters think about the way the rest of the world has been reacting? Have you or your character become an online shopaholic? A daytime drinker? A languisher? An Olympian-calibre baker?
The story could be about losing touch with friends or gaining new friends in the digital world or the outside-the-post-office lineup, about the anguish of being cooped up and how people cope and overcome it—or not!
GENRE: Anything that a person could enjoy reading on the printed page: short story, essay, memoir, poem, play, song lyric, screenplay.
ENTRY INCENTIVE: Each local entrant will receive a $10 gift certificate for a local hospitality business (from Masset to Sandspit).
Writers of the top 3 adjudicated entries and honorable mentions win the opportunity to work with a professional editor to make their work publication-ready, plus a free professional writing workshop this fall. Workshop and adjudication details to come!
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 15th, 2021
Click here to access our criteria and detailed competition guideline.
Send us an email if you have any questions or clarifications on our regulations, adjudication, or entry procedure.